The hearing is to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 in the 1st floor main public hearing room at DEP headquarters, 401 East State Street, Trenton.

The Garden State is now under a drought watch [2]and if water supply conditions do not improve, the DEP may issue a drought warning for part of or the entire state, according to a DEP public notice.

During a drought warning, the DEP may ask water suppliers to take steps to avoid or lessen the impact of a potential water emergency, the notice says.

The DEP “has determined that a potentially critical water supply situation is developing throughout the state,” the notice says.

“This determination is based upon a relative lack of precipitation, above-average temperatures and water supply demands, rapidly declining storage in critical water supply reservoirs, severely depleted ground water levels and stream flows, and future scheduled maintenance at key water systems,” the notice says.

As of yesterday, the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell was 63.52 percent
full, down from 64.39 percent full on Sept. 20.